On a warm summer night in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the life of 37-year-old Savonnie Vahnnie McNeil, a Black male, was tragically cut short. On June 11, 2015, McNeil was at the Trumbull Gardens housing project, a place where he had grown up, spending time with friends in a parking lot. The familiar surroundings of his old neighborhood were shattered when a sudden and brutal ambush erupted in a hail of gunfire.
At least two gunmen unleashed more than 50 rounds into the crowd, creating a scene of chaos and terror. McNeil was struck and killed in the barrage of bullets.
The violent outburst did not spare others gathered in the parking lot that night. In total, nine people were shot. The victims, ranging in age, included an elderly woman who was struck by a stray bullet while she was in the shower of her second-floor apartment. Witnesses described the shooters' chilling intent, stating they heard them yell "reload" and "make sure we kill everybody." The attackers then fled on foot, continuing to fire toward the complex as they made their escape. The shooting was believed by police to be gang-related and an act of retaliation.
For months, the community was left shaken and searching for answers. Investigators from the Bridgeport Police Department, along with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force and the state's attorney's office, worked tirelessly on the case. Their efforts led to a breakthrough in September 2015 with the arrests of two suspects, 24-year-old Jamal "Moo Moo" Hamilton and 24-year-old Kevan "Web" Bennett. Both men, who had extensive criminal histories, were already incarcerated on unrelated charges at the time of their arrest for the mass shooting. They were subsequently charged with one count of murder, eight counts of first-degree assault, and weapons offenses, with their bonds set at one million dollars. The arrests brought a measure of relief to a community scarred by the violence of that June night.
